GYAKKYOU BURAI KAIJI: ULTIMATE SURVIVOR

DESCRIPTION

CAST

ANIME PsychologicalGyakkyou Burai Kaiji: Hakairoku-hen
MANGA DramaTobaku Mokushiroku Kaiji
ANIME ComedyChuukan Kanriroku Tonegawa

REVIEWS

• 

  StupidWeeaboo

  85/100
  It is easy to fall, but hard to rise.

  This anime is relentless, not even letting you breathe for a second while still throwing everything it has against you. Not only do the side characters progress well, focussing on how gambling can cause the darkest human traits to surface when under enough pressure, but the main character's progression from an impressionable yet hopeless lowlife to a man driven to the edge, only determined to push on because he has nothing else to lose helps to constantly drive the series forward amongst all the chaos.

  The show has a slow start, but quickly picks up the pace and never stops. The gambles and the stakes escalate very quickly and you are left gripping your chair as you wait for the next episode to load. The only breaks you get are at the start and after the first arc. The reason this anime does such a good job at building tension is because it constantly reminds the audience of the stakes and whether it's constant cuts of the time limit or a sweeping shot of the danger that threatens the character's lives, the audience really gets a taste of what kind of peril the characters are in. Even though money is the main prize that most of the characters are aiming for and are motivated by, they are constantly questioned to weigh the life of one another against said money. Kaiji's morals constantly flip as the series goes on because of the gambles that he finds himself in, whether he should dive into his inner demon or try to keep sane by upholding his humanity. Also, seeing the constant changes in the side characters really help to illustrate the strain and pressure they are in, though sometimes the characters aren't really justified in how they change like this. Sometimes it's hard to believe Kaiji is such a genius and is so determined to win considering that he started the show as a lowlife with nothing really to lose. But, it works well enough that I can shelf my disbelief for most of the show.

  The gambles themselves and the games that the characters have to participate in are really pushed to their limits, with the anime exploring every possible facet of the game including cheating. The fact that cheating is used alone helps to push the boundary of the games that are played and they are done quite cleverly, apart from the simplicity of the final game that Kaiji plays against Hyoudou, the mastermind behind all the sick games. This entire underground gambling world and hierarchy are explored very lightly, but I think it hits pretty well when the characters turn out to be the things that people are gambling on.

  Admittedly, the artstyle will drive many people away from the series despite it suiting the dark tone of the series because of how the unique face shapes allow the anime to express the very twisted expressions needed to sell the dire situations of the characters. The way the faces contort and bend to the will of the animators help in emphasising the desperation, which is important considering the stakes that the characters are pit up against. In terms of imagery, I thought that this series would be kind of boring because even though the games are ridiculous, it would be pretty hard to entertain an audience with that alone. The imagery is simple, but because of the crazy artstyle the series manages to use the imagery to enhance the tense moments for the most part, though most of the actual imagery and what they mean is a bit too simple.

  The narrator in my opinion is the most distracting element of the show, and so are some of the inner monologues of some of the side characters. Though the narrator is necessary to explain the rules and establish some of the inner workings of the games to the audience, he repeats himself way too much and as an audience member I feel a bit insulted. Sometimes the show really does respect your intelligence, and then the narrator just adds a layer of unnecessary fat on top, essentially negating how the show actually respected your intelligence. However, the show does show moments of brilliance in terms of perspective and inner monologues especially in the most climactic moments. The show usually shifts the perspective from Kaiji to the other character that he is dueling, making it a lot more tense since the audience is forced in a position to second-guess what Kaiji is thinking and what he concludes to be the correct decision. These moments to me are the best parts of the show because it causes the audience to actually think about what actions will have what repercussions by disecting the mind of the character that we spend the most time with.

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• 

  FreddyDaddy

  100/100
  Best opening arc to introduce audience to the world (long showcase)

  I will talk mainly about the first arc, Espoir ship, and a slight spoiler for the second arc in the last paragraph, though only slight. The anime is about gambling. Kaiji was the guarantor of his friend who disappeared, and now has the debt his friend had. As a jobless man, he has no way to clear this debt in anyway possible. Except if he agrees to what Endou offers, a cruise ship in which he gambles and clears his debt. From the first 15 minutes of the first episode, we were shown how pathetic Kaiji is, how the lone sharks persuade people into joining their games, and how the world is a wolf in sheep's clothing. No one sides with him, yet Kaiji refuses to believe that. Then we proceed to the ship, and this is the best part in which I complement in the opening arc. What is the gamble about? restricted Rock-paper-scissors [abbreviated as RPS]. We all know and have played RPS before, while the restricted version is less common but is acceptable and easy to understand since we know everything about the normal RPS. When they tell Kaiji the rules of gambling, if you were an engaging watcher, then you would have thought of some strategies, especially the 'waste your cards and don't be greedy' strategy. When Funai comes and complements Kaiji for his courage and intelligence, and ridicule the others, he sets up the mood, similar to what Endou did but a different approach, a more passive one. He proposed the strategy mentioned above, and at first it is a great one. But here comes the first mistake, and if you noticed it then well done. Funai proposed a rock>scissors>paper pattern. What is wrong with it? It increases the chances of betrayal, just like what happened. If Kaiji thought for just some little time "to make sure", then he might have refused or changed the pattern to like 4 rocks>4 scissors> 4 papers. Next, Kaiji teams with his friend and a third person. The third person took a card from them and went to gamble, and lost both the card and the star. Kaiji should have seen the red flag, but ignored it because of the kindness of his heart. Then Kaiji tells them to go and find someone with 9 cards and the last 2 used cards were a rock and a scissor. It is a strange strategy, since it depends on the psyche of the opponent, if he sees through Kaiji's bluff or not. Fortunately, he succeeded and won 2 stars, in which he gave them to his companions (too kind). This strategy high risk/high value, which enforces the thought of gambling in Kaiji. The next strategy is hoarding rock cards. At first, it is a great strategy, since everyone has to play or else. But now there is another group who discovered this strategy and countered it by hoarding papers. We now see that every strategy we think of, there is a counter to it, and yet sometimes we fail to see it. Kaiji won through intuitive, logic and luck. After that he hoarded the paper too, so what could be the counter to it? Shuffling! he was forced to shuffle with the others, or he would be deserted and would find no opponents. And who proposed it? Funai! Here we see the first growth Kaiji undergoes, trying to figure what went wrong and how to make use of it. Why did he underwent it, because of a tongue-slip from Funai. He then proceeded to show how he rigged the shuffle to make sure that he will have the upper hand in any opponent aside from Kaiji. We now see how much depth a simple restricted RPS could be. I could have said a simple game with extreme depth, but I had to showcase the strategies and how much thinking went into it. This is an extraordinary opening arc, in which you will be overconfident at first "it's a RPS game, it's all about luck and some logic since it is restricted". But then we see hoarding, card switching, neutral strategy, guessing the extra card, balanced vs unbalanced decks and predicting or playing around the balanced line of thinking, all of this is showcased in mere 7-9 episodes, in which we don't feel overwhelmed nor bored. The strategies are not the only good thing about the arc. I did say "to the world", and it is not only about gambling. We see Kaiji's naivety and kindness destroys him many times, and he barely survives. Then we are questioned (not directly, but subtly) should we abandon our morals for the sake of money? If killing someone could get us 20 millions, will we kill him? If everyone does it, is it still okay? Is it okay to trust people? How can Kaiji trusts people after everything he went through? This is the brilliance of the Espoir arc, and the author's greatness at writing characters. Even if some of them were tropes, they were tropes done right.

  Also check StupidWeeaboo's review, it's good: https://anilist.co/review/3486

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• 

  ChillLaChill

  90/100
  Yu-Gi-Oh for the older, sophisticated man

  Ultimate Survivor doesn't fall into the typical anime category. It's far removed from a lot of shows out there. Kaiji focuses on the struggle of a lone gambler who is forced to endure a number of psychological battles in the form of different games. Not only does he bet on fame and fortune, he also bets his life.

  Kaiji isn't the average guy, he steals for a living, he's a heavy drinker and more importantly, he is in vast amounts of debt. In the first episode in he is visited by a loan shark who offers him a deal to clear his debt and possibly make a profit in the process. From here, quite literally, the games begin for Kaiji. Throughout the story, Kaiji is faced with a number of challenges that require some sort of thought. Although they might look simple such as Rock Paper Scissors, the amount of thought and tension put into each scene is gripping. In the first arc, Ultimate Survivor grabs the viewer right away. It becomes a game of survival, and it feels like you're on Kaiji's side rooting for him to make it out it. For something as simple as Rock, Paper, Scissors, the build-up is expertly crafted. Of course, the main downside to its game-centric focus is that it will often draw out the pacing. When moments pick up, they do so only for them to be abruptly cut off by the credits. While this is an effective method of getting you to binge episodes, it detracts from some of the pacing. Certain arcs will feel like a drag as a result.

  This might be a good time to bring up the style of Kaiji. Even though I'm charmed by its bold emphasis and heavy outlines, others may find Kaiji alienating. These exaggerated facial features might be weird to some, so it may take some time to adjust to the style. Oh and the excessive use of man tears. The soundtrack is a rather interesting one, making the viewer feel the tension of the games being played. The inclusion of the "ZAWA ZAWA ZAWA..." becomes a unique series staple. As for the opening and endings, they both maintain this franticness of being lost or cut off in society. The soundtrack, in general, maintains this sense of survival and disconnectedness very well. While it might be true that Kaiji is alone in his journey, he does comes into contact with a cast of colourful characters. Some might be backstabbing pricks, while others just need a way out. There's plenty of good unexpected twists as the show throws in unpredictable characters to shake things up. It's almost perfect as the world of gambling is just that. People will do whatever means necessary to obtain wealth, and I mean anything. The world presented within Kaiji is not a happy place, and over time you'll realize just how messed up it is. Kaiji starts off as a weak and undecided individual, however over the course of the show he blossoms into his own. I realized that he became this strong-willed fighter who is determined to win. Sure, becoming the Ultimate Survivor is the main goal, but you start to feel sorry for the amount of physical hell Kaiji goes through. It ends up being this vicious cycle of gambling where Kaiji and the viewer must endure these games, coaxing you into finishing the next episode.

  When Kaiji clicks for you, it does so perfectly. You'll realize how trivial the moe genre is, and how poorly handled other gambling animes are. Ultimate Survivor has so much going for it that after I craved more of this kind of story. I just had to watch the second season. The fact that it's a well-crafted series that plays up darker themes makes it all the more memorable. Kaiji is a mature show with little need to baby the viewer by cushioning their reactions. There's a lot here that works so well, and yet the series isn't going to become mainstream anytime soon. It's a niche series with a very distinct art style that might not appeal to everyone's taste. Sure it might be my favourite, and a classic, I have to admit that it's a show tailored to specific tastes in mind. It might sound like a hard sell, but I can absolutely guarantee you that Kaiji is a show worth your time investment. If you're willing to look past its art style, then I can assure you that you're going to be in for a refreshingly new experience filled with the most masculine sense of pride.

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